


Respite

by servantofclio



Series: Julian Shepard [9]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 02:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10526745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/servantofclio/pseuds/servantofclio
Summary: Shepard's patient when Tali has work to do. Mid-ME3 fluff.





	

Tali straightened from her console, sending off her latest evaluation of geth tactics, and stretched out her aching back. She winced when she checked the time; it was the late watch now. She’d only been dimly aware of the shift change, but none of the blue-uniformed humans in the War Room looked familiar now, though Legion was still puttering away at its workstation. Even Raan was nowhere to be seen; hopefully she’d gotten to catch some sleep hours ago.

Tali, meanwhile, had told Shepard she’d look for him when she was done with her project, which she hadn’t thought would take nearly this long. She’d probably missed her chance now. More than likely, he’d turned in to sleep as well.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask. “EDI?”

“Yes, Tali?”

“Where is Shepard right now?”

“Commander Shepard is in the conference room.”

Tali blinked in surprise at that. She hadn’t known he was so close. “Thanks, EDI.”

“You’re welcome, Tali.”

Something about EDI’s tone sounded amused, and when Tali stepped into the conference room, she saw why. Shepard was there, all right: sitting in one of the chairs, feet propped up on a second chair, asleep. He was somehow still sitting mostly upright, though his head drooped, and a datapad was on the verge of falling out of his hand. 

Tali bit back a giggle, and snapped a quick pic with her omni-tool. The savior of the galaxy, caught napping, was too good not to capture. As she lowered her arm, though, she felt a flash of guilt. He’d obviously been waiting patiently for a while, presumably for her, and there she’d been caught up in her work, completely oblivious.

She reached out and rescued the falling datapad, laying it on the table, and then gently eased herself onto Shepard’s lap. “Hey there.”

She watched as his face crinkled, as he shook his head slightly and his eyelids fluttered. He blinked several times before his eyes focused on her, and a smile broke over his face. “Hey yourself, Miss vas Normandy.”

Hearing him call her that always gave her a tiny thrill of satisfaction. Having to give up her old name had only brought her closer to Shepard. But she was puzzled about one thing: “What was that Joker said about a tiara and a sash?”

“Some old human custom. I don’t really understand it myself.” Shepard glanced to the side, toward the War Room’s door. “Not worried about someone seeing us?”

Tali shook her head. “It’s late. No one’s around. Raan must have gone to rest a long time ago.”

“Ah, okay, then.” Shepard’s hand crept up to rest against Tali’s hip, a solid, comfortable weight. Her suit registered the warmth, but it was only a shadow of the skin-on-skin heat that Tali remembered. She felt a sharp, wistful pang of longing for more. When they’d been together, with no suit between them, every sensation had been so heightened, from the feel of cool air on her skin to the press of their bodies together, but now that seemed blurred and long-ago, not even a year later.

It was sheer, selfish indulgence to want that again now. There was no time for self-indulgence, with one high-stakes mission behind them and another ahead tomorrow, with the fate of the entire Fleet riding on everything they did. This was no time to be sniffling and sneezing her way through a mission.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting so long,” she said, as Shepard began idly drawing circles against her hip. She rested her arms on his shoulders, loosely clasping her fingers together behind his head.

“Don’t worry about it. I only finished up an hour ago.”

“Still, you could have gone to bed and not waited.”

Shepard shook his head, smiling. “I didn’t mind.”

EDI put in, making Tali start: “Shepard has been averaging less than the standard human sleep cycle.”

Shepard’s hand stilled. “Come on, EDI, that wasn’t necessary.”

Tali tilted her head sideways, scrutinizing his face. “Shepard.”

“Don’t you start, too.”

“Start what?” Tali asked innocently.

Shepard sighed. “I’m fine.”

“Really.” He did look tired, she thought, but it could be hard to tell with humans sometimes. “Because we didn’t have a difficult day today, or anything.”

He shrugged. “All in a day’s work.”

As if people disabled geth dreadnoughts every day. “Still.” Tali ran a hand down Shepard’s arm, only to see him flinch. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he repeated. “It’s just a bruise.”

Tali frowned, thinking back on how many times Shepard had fallen, rolled into cover, or otherwise collided with something as they fought their way through the dreadnought. The number seemed… high. Shepard hardly ever complained, though, and would just keep deflecting if she asked again. Instead she said, “And who else is bold enough to tell you to get more rest?”

“Plenty of people,” Shepard grumbled.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Tali said, stroking his arm more lightly.

“If Dr. Chakwas isn’t after me, Garrus is. Or Traynor.”

“The comm specialist? I knew I liked her.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d like her. She’s very smart, and she’s adapted well.”

“But I’m guessing none of these people can offer you the right kind of incentives,” Tali suggested.

Shepard’s eyes brightened. “What kind of incentives are we talking about here?”

For answer, Tali slid out of his grasp, standing up. “Why don’t we go find out?”

She wasn’t planning on anything much, honestly, but the teasing had its effect. Shepard smiled, yawned, and climbed to his feet, where he promptly swayed a little, proving she was right not to plan on anything more energetic.

Together they left the conference room, proceeding through the security checkpoint one at a time, decorously, even though the guards on duty were half-asleep themselves. Once they’d gotten to the lift and the door had shut behind them, Tali sidled closer and leaned into Shepard’s side, letting him drape an arm over her shoulders. If he was leaning on her slightly more than strictly necessary, neither of them mentioned it.

In the privacy of Shepard’s cabin, with the fish swimming tranquilly behind, Shepard finally gathered her into a real embrace, and Tali leaned into it, wishing she could feel more. “You really should just get some sleep,” she told him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“I know,” he said, sounding weary. “You should rest, too, though. Would you…”

She nodded. “Of course I’ll stay.”

She’d slept in Shepard’s bed in her suit before. She supposed that might have seemed odd to anyone else, but sometimes it was enough to be close together. She detached the draperies from her suit and folded them up, and ran her nightly diagnostic to make sure all the suit’s seals were secure. She watched Shepard change out of the corner of her eye, frowning as she spied not just one, but several bruises scattered across his body, and a few bandages. The fight on the dreadnought really had taken its toll, and tomorrow there would be another mission just as vital. If Shepard had been seriously hurt, or killed, helping her people… Tali wasn’t sure she could forgive herself if that happened.

But skill and nerve and a good bit of luck had gotten them through. Again. She could only hope their luck would hold.

She slid into bed after Shepard as the lights dimmed, and cuddled against his side, helmet and all. “EDI,” she murmured quietly, “if Shala’Raan asks where I am, don’t tell her.”

“Of course, Tali.”

Shepard was already drifting off, his muscles relaxing and his breath evening out. Tali closed her eyes and followed.


End file.
